Fruit or vegetable slicing machine.



Patented July 7, 1914.

2 SHEfIS-SHEET 1.

W. H. BOUTELL. FRUIT OR VEGETABLE SLIUING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILEDJULY 13, 1907.

THE NORRIS PETERS CO. PHOTO-LlTI-ld. WASHINGTON D. C.

' W. H. BOUTELL.

FRUIT 0B VEGETABLE sucme MACHINE.

' APPLiOA'IfION PILBDJULY 18, 1907.

Patented July 7, 1914.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

THE NORRIS PETERS ca. PHOTO-LITHO. WASHINGTON. D C

UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. BOUTELL, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK. ASSIGNOR TO BOUT'ELL MANU-FACTURING- COMPANY, OF ROCHESTER, YORK, A CORPORATION- OF NEW YORK. Y

FRUIT 0R VEGETABLE SLICING MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. BOUTELL, ofRochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Fruit or Vegetable SlicingMachines; and I do here by declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to thereferencenumerals marked thereon.

This invention relates to fruit or vegetable slicing machines of thetype in which the articles are fed by a suitable mechanism to slicingdevices, and it has for its object to provide a feeding mechanismconstructed to limit the feed to a single article, whereby the cloggingof the slicing mechanism is prevented, and to provide certainimprovements in the slicing mechanism which will facilitate the removalof the knives and prevent waste of the sliced material.

To these and other ends the invention consists in certain improvementsand combinations of parts all as will be hereinafter more fullydescribed, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the endof the specification.

.ln the drawings: Figure 1 is a top view of a machine constructed inaccordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a side view; Fig. 3 is avertical longitudinal section; Fig. 4; is a vertical transverse sectionthrough the hopper; Fig. 5 is a detail view showing the manner in whichthe articles in the feeder are agitated.

The embodiment of the invention herein shown employs a suit-able frame Afor supporting a slicing or cutting mechanism which in this instancecomprises a table or support 1 having thereon an annular guard 2 and aroughened surface in the form of a series of over-lapping plates 1serving to agitate the articles and cause those such as apples topresent their flat ends to cutters 3 of any suitable form arranged in anarcuate series within the guard and carried by a cutter carrying frame3* which is removably secured by thumb nuts 3 and bolts 3 to the underside of the table. Adapted to turn above the table with a vertical shaft4 journaled in the frame A is a carrier frame which comprises an annularring 5 sup- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 13, 1907.

Patented July '7, 1914. Serial No. 383,603.

ported within the outer guard from shaft 4L by spiders 6, serving as aninner guard for the articles on the table and having a plurality ofpocket shaped carriers 7 extending radially therefrom, and adapted tocarry to the knives fruit, vegetables or the like delivered on thesupport 1 through chute 8 arranged on the frame A and forming part of afeeding mechanism to be described, a shield 9 above the carriers actingto prevent the articles passing directly from the chute to the knives.

The articles are fed singly to the chute 8 by means of a verticallyarranged feederin the form of an endless series of carriers 10 whichpass thechute 8 upon their upward travel and in this instance projectfrom one edge of a flexible belt 1.1 passing about a small pulley 12 anda large pulley 13. The small pulley preferably is supported on a stubshaft 14 which extends from the side of the frame and is supported atone end only by a bracket arm 15 projecting upwardly from the horizontalcross piece 17 which is secured to frame A and also carries a verticalbearing for the shaft 4. The larger pulley 13 is ournaled on a shaft 16which also extends from the frame and is secured at one end only to averticallyadjustable bracket 18 mounted on the lower portion of theframe and serving by its adjustment to tighten or loosen the belt.

The belt is driven by a gear 19 on the small pulley 12, meshing with asmall gear 20 on a horizontal drive shaft 21 which is j ournaled at oneend in bracket arm 15 and at its other end in a vertically extendingbracket 22 on horizontal cross piece 17 The drive shaft 21 also actuatesthe slicing mechanism and for this purpose is geared to the shaft 4which carries a larger crown gear 23 meshing with a small bevel pinion24 on the drive shaft.

The endless feeder takes the articles from a suitable hopper whichpreferably comprises an end board 25, lying substantially in the planeof the outer edge of the belt and cut away so'as to conform to theoutline of the latteryand a chute portion 26 connected by tie bolts 27to the end board. Devices in the form of bolts 28 work in vertical slotsin the end board and permit the vertical adjustment of the hopper sothat it may main tain a proper relation with the endless feeder; andsegmental pieces 13* close the pulley 13 to prevent the passage ofarticles from the hopper through the pulley.

To the end that the feeder will not engage the articles in the hopperupon its downward movement a guard 28 covers that portion of the feederthat is moving downwardly within the hopper. In this manner the articlesare caused to be engaged only after the feeder has started on its upwardmovement and are carried upwardly by the carriers 10 which for thispurpose are inclined relatively to the end board to form therewithpockets preventing the articles being dropped until the upper end of theboard is reached when they roll into chute 8. -At the feeding point Iprovide means to engage the articles to cause them to leave the carriersand in this instance the carriers 10 are provided with openings or slots29 through which works a finger 30 preferably supported on the end boardon one side of the carriers, extending outwardly therefrom, thencelaterally in front of the carriers and finally upwardly and inwardlytoward the end board in a position to pass through the slots 29 when thecarriers reach the chute 8.

The number of articles entering each ear rier at one time is limited toone, by means of a rearwardly extending fin, or arm 31, at the outer endof each carrier and of such a length that while one article may enter acarrier in the rear of the one carrying the arm, others will be barredif seeking to enter at the same time. Even with these barriers I havefound that at times more than one article will be clamped between twocarriers, and to prevent this, I provide on that portion of the endboard over which the articles pass in being fed to the slicing mechanisman agitator preferably a roughened surface in the form of overlappingplates 131, which agitate the articles on the carriers and cause anysurplus to fall therefrom, the hopper being formed with an enlargement32 on its adjacent side to catch those falling and conduct them to aposition to be again caught by the feeder.

' Owing to the fact that the belt is flexible, the weight of thecarriers 10 with the fruit thereon, is, under ordinary circumstances,sufficient to cause the belt to bend and tilt the carriers toprematurely discharge their contents, and to prevent this I employ asupport 33 in the form of a bar bearing upon the inner surface of theworking portionof the belt of the feeder to overcome its sagging, andmeans permitting theadjustment of the bar consisting preferably of aslotted bracket 34L secured to the frame by bolts 35 whereby the bar maybeshifted to vary the pressure on the belt.

From the foregoing, it will be noted that I have provided a simple andinexpensive machine, which expeditiously conveys the articles to theslicing mechanism without clog ging the latter, or injuring thearticles, and in which waste of the cutv articles is pre vented.

I claim as my invention.

1. The combination with a table, of an elevating feeder arranged at oneside of the table and embodying an endless series of car riers, eachhaving a slot, and a finger for directing the articles to the table whenthe'carriers shall have reached the top of the elevating feeder, thefinger being arranged at one side of the feederin proximity to thefeeding point and projecting upwardly,

thence laterally over the path of the carriers,

and finally upwardly and inwardly so as to pass through the slots.

2. The combination with a table, and a hopper, of a feeder for conveyingarticles from the hopper to the table embodying an endless series ofcarriers each having a rearwardly extending arm projecting far enoughtoward the next adjacent carrier following the arm to prevent theentrance of more than one article to the same.

3. The combination with a table and a hopper having an upright endboard, of an endless feeder for the table having carriers thereon, and aplurality of overlapping blades on the end board over which the carrierspass in moving upwardly toward the table.

' WVILLIAM H. BOUTELL. VIitnesses:

' RUSSELL B. GRIFFITH,

H. H. SIMMs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G.

